[UK-CONTEST] Draft of new licence

[Ed - G3SQX]

Re:  /A, /P and notification  of address.

At the risk of over-analysing, and without detracting from what is a much
improved document, may I respectfully suggest that Colin's point is not
quite as logical as it seems.

Most people who notify an alternative address to Ofcom do so for a temporary
period, not for a semi-permanent location they will come back to, a holiday
home, for example.  So in the latter case there will presumably be a
requirement to say to Ofcom that any new "/A" address is to replace the
existing, if we buy a new, improved holiday home.  Or perhaps we will have
to say that in addition to the holiday home, we are going to the Lake
District for a week and want to operate there.  The point is that unless we
add extra information to the notification, the enforcement people will be no
better off -- they still won't know what the licensee's QTH is at any time.

Since the use of  "/A" has pretty much been abandoned internationally, I am
of the opinion that its use in the UK ought top be optional at most,
replacing "/P" if a licensee chooses.  The current system seems to work
well, with no suffix required if notification is made.  The only improvement
would be to require the licensee to specify dates of operation at an
alternative address when making a notification.  These dates could be
"indefinitely" if  the address really is a holiday home.

Contesters are probably more interested than most others in having shorter
callsigns;  if the use of "/A" became mandatory, even when the alternative
QTH is notified to Ofcom, this would put a damper on operations for some
stations.  If its usage became mandatory for Short Contest Calls, this would
completely negate their value!

73,

Ed, G3SQX

P.S.  I like the abandonment of the GX, GS (etc.) prefixes -- these have
been an unnecessary and confusing anachronism for some years.  But there's
no mention of the prefix that CEPT visitors should use in the UK -- many
grumble that "M/", "MW" (etc.)  is required, rather than "G/", and I have to
agree with them.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Colin G3PSM" <colin at g3psm.net>
To: "Uk-Contest at Contesting.Com" <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 3:12 PM
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Draft of new licence


> Ah, but after the initial notification of the /A address there is no
> need to change it back after the operation, i.e. it saves people from
> having to notify Ofcom each time they operate from their alternative
> address, ergo, it saves Ofcom manpower  from having to notify their
> field offices.   It's all about manpower and resources.
>
> 73
>
> Colin, G3PSM
>
> Don Beattie wrote:
>
>> Colin,
>>
>> Thanks for the background. I don't mind the concept of an Alternative
>> Address (to differentiate from /P and "portable") but why, if the
>> change is
>> pre-notified, is the /A suffix needed ?
>>
>> I seem to remember that the original context of /A (many years ago) was:
>>
>> a) Pre-notification of operation at alternative address: use normal call
>> b) No pre-notification of operation at alternative address: use /A and
>> announce location
>> c) Portable location: /P
>>
>> I would have thought that (a) and (c) would have been the way ahead.
>> Look on
>> it as the same as advising Ofcom of a change of address, and then to
>> change
>> it back after the operation ! In that case - no need for /A !!  (:-)
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Don
>>
>>